Gammage season packs in hits

Published On:
Monday, August 24, 2009
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This season at Gammage will be packed full of laughter, drama and dancing — and all-out musical fun.

Starting Sept. 22, the once- blockbuster hit film “Legally Blonde,” one of the top anticipated musicals on Broadway, hits the Gammage stage for five nights.

This romantic comedy features Elle Woods, a stereotypical blonde sorority girl who cares about her looks, reputation and partying.

After her boyfriend breaks up with her and moves to Harvard Law School, Elle decides the only way to get him back is to prove just how serious she can be, and she manages to also be, accepted into Harvard.

But Elle will learn much more about herself than she ever bargained for.

Tickets for “Legally Blonde” went on sale last week.

Starting Oct. 28 for nearly a month, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most notable musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” will return to Gammage.

For more than two decades and over seven awards later, including a Tony Award for Best Musical, “The Phantom of the Opera” has been capturing audience members and leaving them speechless with this haunting love story.

Directed by Francesca Zambello, the American celebrated classic, “The Little House on The Prairie,” will continue keeping smiles on audience members’ faces for generations in this now-musical rendition coming to Gammage on Dec. 8 for nearly a full week.

Once playing Laura on the television series for 10 years, Melissa Gilbert will now keep the pioneer spirit alive by playing Ma.

Coming Jan. 5, one of Broadway’s most talked-about plays, “August: Osage County,” will hit the bright lights of Gammage for five performances.

Winner of both the Pulitzer Price for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, this dark, dramatic comedy will keep the audience intrigued with three hours of excitement.

“August: Osage County,” written by Tracy Letts, will feature a memorable performance of a family residing in Oklahoma facing the hardships of dysfunction, drug abuse, death and even love.

Throughout the month of February, Tempe may be buzzing with the hums, whistles and unforgettable lyrics: “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” with “Mary Poppins.”

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh have teamed up to bring everyone’s most beloved nanny to the stage for an awe-striking performance.

Since the original children’s book series written by P.L. Travers in the ‘30s, and especially since Disney’s musical film creation in 1964, generations alike have enjoyed the countless catchy poetic songs provided by this adored nanny and can once again relive those memorable quotes such as, “So when the cat has got your tongue, there’s no need for dismay!” and “…Chim chiminy, chim chim chiree!”

In March, see Sesame Street-looking puppet characters as you have never seen them before in “Avenue Q.”

Winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, this Broadway hit will be sure to keep the laughter plentiful as a group of puppets show the audience what it’s like to try to make big hopes and dreams come alive in the big city of New York on a minuscule budget.

Geared for mature audiences, due to adult content and language, “Avenue Q” is sure to be one of those most talked-about performances to hit Gammage this season.

Also on the list of performances featured in January, Gammage will for the first time bring “Kristina Wong: Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

In this comedic performance, Kristina Wong will play various fictitious roles using various monologue techniques to capture the struggles that have surrounded Asian-American women.

Other Broadway smashers, such as “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The 39 Steps” and “Annie,” will come to Gammage this season.

For more information, show times and tickets, visit asugammage.com.

Reach the reporter at bryan.brougham@asu.edu.